Machine for forming bodies from successive layers of pulp.



H. PARKER. MACHINE FOR FORMiNG BODIES FROM SUCCESSIVE' LAYERS 0F PULP.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.27 19H.

Patented July 20, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES lN R 6 v izzsvard Parker.-

ATTORNEY H. PARKER.

MACHINE FOR FORMING BODIES FROM SUCCESSIVE LAYERS 0F PULP.

Patented July 20, 1915.

4 SHEETSSHEET2.

INVENTOR Howard. Parker; BY i, J

A lTo kNEv IIIII I I l l I I I I I I I I l I I I I l IIII APPLICATIONFILED DEC.27| I911.

S I E H. PARKER. v MACHINE EOR FORMING BODIES FROM SUCCESSIVE LAYERS 0FPUlfP.

' Patented July 20, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.27| 1911.

WITN ESSES m v ENTOR Howard Parker:

' ATTORNEY H. PARKER.

MACHINE FOR FORMING BOD'IES FROM SUCGESSIVE LAYERS 0F PULP.

APPLICATION FILED 0120.27.1911.

1,147,262. R Patented July 20, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

V 7 V,V i, V I

WITNESSES I D w INVENTOR f. Howard Parker:

. I I BY ED STATES PAT T O FIC q nowm 2mm, or'nnsnua, unwnmrsmn,ASSIGNOR mo mraovnn runs MACHINERY comm, or NASHUA, NEW mmsmnn, Aoonronn'rron or arm. I

mom Fen-roams nonms Inert suconssivn narnnsor rm.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application med. December 27, 1911. Serial No. 668,135.

To allwhomit ma concern:

Be it known t at I, HOWARD PARKER, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Nashua, in the county of:Hillsboro and State of New Hampshire, have invented paratus in whichthe successive layers of pulp are wound upon a core ormandrel so thatwhen the required-thickness is attained the complete structure may beremoved from the mandrel in the form of a tube, or cut longitudinallyand removed in the form of a sheet, the object of the invention being to1m thig general type and themode of operation of such machines.

The art of forming sheets or tubes by winding successive layers of pulpon a roll or mandrel is quite old, and reference may be had to Patent#408,092 issued July 30,

. 1899, to Henry Fairbanks and myself as joint inventors, for adescription ofone of the first machines designed for accomplishing sucha result. From along experience in the manufacture and operation ofmachines of this general character, covering the period since the dateof the above mentioned patent, I have found that to meet the present dayrequirements as to the character of the product and the rate of itsproduction,,it has been necessary to re-design and re-construct theoriginal machines in essential particulars.

In the drawings I have illustrated a machine in which are embodied thevarious improvements constituting the present invention. I

Referring to the drawings-Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machineembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a front view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a detail view of part of the man drel-carryin cage. Fig. 4 isa detail view on enlarge mechanism and appurtenant parts. Fig. '5 is abottom view of the press rolls and carrier. Fig. 6 is a side view of thepress rolls and carrier, parts being broken away to rove theconstruction of machines of tween layers scale showing the winding showthe roll construction. Fig.7 is a sectional-view on line 7, 7 of Fig. 5.

Any proper machine can be utilized for forming the pulp or paper stockinto a sheet 'or web. I have. illustrated a cylinder machine, though aFourdrinier machine would do equally as well.

In the drawings a denotes the tank in. which the cylinder mold islocated and b the mold which by preference is of the vacuum type whichmakes it possible to extract a considerable amount of moisture from theweb before it is. couched ofi onto the apronc by means of which it istransported to that part of the machine where the winding operationtakes place.

The winding mechanism comprises a base roll 1 on the top of which reststhe core or Patented Ju1y20, 1915.

mandrel 10 upon which the tube is wound,

J pressure being applied to this mandrel by 'press 'olls. 20, 25.

'windin point in just the proper condition to pro uce the right kind ofa tube. If

I it be too wet. it is so soft that the web will crush and break underthe pressure appliedor the water pressed out at the winding point. willrun back on the web washing it away or softening it so it will breakwhen it is subjected to pressure at the point. If too dry the successivelayers. W111 not weld together properly and in curing the tube the wallsare' apt to separate be- It is further advisable to keep the surface ofthe web wet upto the point where the winding takes place as thus thewelding together of the successive layers is more effectually insured.Consequently, it is advisable to dry the web gradually and continue thedrying action as near to the winding point as possible. This result isaccomplished sin a practical and eflicient manner by the use of a'vacuumbase roll as illustrated, provisionbeing made for adjusting the point atwhich the vacuum time which it is moving around the roll,

isapplied' the successive layers will'be com- ,5 pactedor weldedtogether to form a homoaye ' and'cut oil just before the winding takesplace, leaving the web of pulp tree to wind on the mandrel with itssurface just moist enough so that when the proper pressure geneous wall.a

As indicated in the drawings the vacuum base roll 1 is divided into anumber of longitudinal compartments 2, 2 and has a hollow core 3 throughwhich there are apertures 4:, i opening into each partition, the

. roll being mounted on a hollow shaft 5 having apertures 6, 6 which areadapted to register with the apertures 4 in the core of the 1 roll.These apertures 6, 6 in the shaft are so arranged that only thosecompartments,

of the roll which are covered by the pulp are subyected to the actionoithe suctlon, .it being, of course, understood that the shaft vacuumcreating apparatus, as a centrifugal fan. By reference to Fig. l of thedrawings, it will be noted that communication between the interior ofthe shaft and the comwhere the pulp runs onto the base roll, and thatthe suction is cut oil at a point just before the pulp reaches themandrel. It is, advantageous to continue the suction action an up asnear the mandrel as possible and provision is made for rotarilyadjusting the shaft as by the lever 7 inorder to vary the point at whichthe suction action is cut oil to suit difierent requirements. Byproperly a5 graduatingthe force of the suction to which the web of pulpis subjected, and by carryin I this suction action to just the properpoint near to the point of winding, the pul is delivered to the core ormandrel in suc :55 between the various layers will be destroyed and apractically solid or homogeneous wall is formed. When suficient pulp hasbeen wound onto the core to provide a wall of.

suitable thichess tor the article which is to being formed, as forinstance a tube, it is I removed, from the machine with the core andsubjected to a high degree of heat to I. meanest" vention are adapted tomake tubes and other pulp bodies from three quarters of an inch indiameter up to any reasonable size desired and of any length uptoseventy-two or eighty inches, the length of the tube depending only onthe capacity as to width of sheet of the web forming machine. It isessential that these tubes when cured shall be absolutely straight.Great dificulty has been experienced in curing the tubes,especiallythose oi? smaller diameter if they have first been removedfrom the core or mandrel,

and great diihculty has also been experience'jd when the tube has beencured on the core, in removing the core after the curing is completed.Collapsible mandrels of various kinds have been tried, but they areexpensive, heavy and diflicult to handle, dilii cult to construct in thesmall sizes, and necessitate a longer time for the curing.

1 l have discovered'that by using a continuous hollow core with a thinwall and or I ;material which quickly responds to changes pm isconnected at either or both ends with a partments is established atabout the point to acondition that with the application of a drive ofithe moisture from the pulp and cure the tube.

at Machines made in accordance with my inof temperature, I am able tocure the tube on the core and readily remove the tube from the coreafter it is cured. l pref-er, and have thus far used, aluminum as amaterial for the core, making the wall thin but of even thicknessthroughout so that the structure will be sufliciently stifi so as not tocollapse during the Winding operation. l/Vhen the core with its tube isfirst subjected to heat, the core will expandquickly while the pulp isstill moist and will remain in that condition during the curingoperation. 3. The driving ofi of moisture from the pulp causes it tocontract and hug the core tightly. After. the tube is properly cured, itis removed and allowed to cool. lhe tube will not shrink or contractduring the cooling but the core will,-with the result that its sizedecreases sufiiciently to free itself '..froin the tube so that it canbe readily removed. These cores are comparatively inexpenswe, theirsurfaces can be easlly kept clean and polished so as to produce a goodsurface on the interior of the tube, and their use permits of curing thetube on the core, thus insuring absolutely straight tubes, and the readyremoval of the core from the tube after'it is cured. These cores areusually of such length that, particularly in the smaller sizes, they areapt to be distorted during the winding operation if not suitablysupported. In order to prevent such an occurrence in the case of tubesof smaller sizes, ll make use of a pair of'pressure rolls arrangedon'parallel axes and adapted to rest on top of the core at each side ofthe center, and l utilize these rolls to accomplish two results, namely,to maintain the alinement of the core, and also to provide the pressureunder which the tube is wound, lhese rolls, are, of course, mounted in asuitable carrier and the weight of the carrier and the rolls must be notmore than enough to provide the proper pressure for the smallest tubeswith the lightest walls; consequently the rolls themselves cannot be oftoo large di 5 ameter, and if they are small, they themselves are liableto be distorted and $0 permit of or cause the distortion of the mandreland consequently'of the tube which is being formed. To remedy thistrouble, the

press rolls Which I use are formed in short sections 30, 31, thesections of each-complete roll being arranged end to end and supportedin proper bearings 32, 33 on the carrier 34: which carrier,asillustrated, is supported by arms 35 pivotally'connected with theframe of the machine as at 36.

In order to providefor the escape of air from between the successivelayers of pulp andto prevent the pulp from adhering to the press rolls,they are longitudinally fluted as at 37 and the flutings are formed aquarter spiral as clearly indicated in Fig. 6; The roll is then woundwith wire 38, and on this wire is laid a fine wire mesh cloth 39. Thisprovides a proper surface for the roll,

' permits of the ready escape of air during the pressing and as will benoted by reference to Fig. 5. the joints of the sections between the tworolls are staggered so as to prevent marking the surface of the tube. Bythis construction means are provided for rigidly supporting the core toprevent its distortion during the winding operation and without anyliability of the press rolls themselves being distorted. When heavierpressure is desired, the carrier can be weighted,

or the rolls can be forced down onto the core in any other convenient mnner. When bodies of larger diameter are being formed the enlarged sizeof the mandrel is often sufficient to prevent; distortion during thewinding operation, and'in such cases a single press roll can be usedwhich rests directly upon the top of the mandrel and the pulp beingwound thereon. This roll may or may not be of the compound type, thatis, made up'of a series of short sections arranged end to end, butbypreference it is of this type, and has the fluted surface covered withthe wire mesh cloth in order to allow the escape of air and also toprevent the pulp from adhering to the press rolls.

From the foregoing it will be seen that by the proper drying of thepulp, and a continuation of the drying process through the use of avacuum base roll up to a point just before the winding operation takesplace;-

successive layers of pulp as to form a body whose wall is a solidhomogeneous structure use of the peculiar compound press rolls permit ofthe use of this novel mandrel, holding it inabsolute' alinement andpreventing distortion during the windingoperation.

In order to make the machine as nearly continuous aspossible, I preferto use two or more mandrels so that there is always an empty mandrelready to be moved down into the winding position as soon as a tube hasbeen completed on the other mandrel and removed from the winding point.In the drawings the machine is illustrated as provided with two mandrelssupported by arms 40, 40 having .at their ends tapering plugs 41, 41adapted to enter the ends of the mandrel, these arms being pivotallymounted on cage plates 42, 42 secured near the opposite -ends ofthe'shaft 43. Suitable tripping and stoppingdevices may be provided forcausing this shaft to be rotated and stopped at proper times, thepreferred form of such mechanism being reserved for a futureapplication. As a means for removing the press rolls a while themandrels are being changed, I have'provided a vacuum cylinder 50connected with the vacuum pump through a valve 51 which is normally heldclosed and is. connected by the link 52 with a lever 53 pivotallysupported on the frame.

of the machine, and adapted to be operated by a cam 5 on a shaft 55drivenfrictionally by any appropriate mechanism (not shown). The piston56in this cylinder is connected by-suitable cords 57, running overpulleys-58, with the ends of the carrier upon which the press rolls aremounted. When the tube wall has been formed to proper thickness a trip53 connected to the cageplates 42 (Fig. 2) is moved down away from a dog53 fast ongthe shaft 55. This releases the latter to its frictionaldrive and the cam 54 then becomes effective to rock the lever 53 to openthe valve, establishing connection between the blower and thevacuumcylinder, creating a vacuum in the cylinder which draws down thepiston, raising the carrier and press rolls out of the way. Immediatelythe shaft revolves carrying away the mandrel with its completed tube anddelivering at the winding point a new mandrel. By this time the cam hascompleted its revolution, the lever resumes its normal position cuttingoff the communication between the blower and the vacuum cylinder andopening the vacuum cylinder. to the outer air, and the weight of thecarrier with the press rolls causes it to drop onto the mandrel- Ofcourse, during the all changed, the pulp is continuing to travel aroundthe base roll but as soon as the press rolls come down onto the mandrel,the web is cut and immediately begins to wind on the mandrel. I am awarethat the machine herein de-- scribed is susceptible of variousmodifications and changes, and it is my intention that the appendedclaims shall cover any and all alterations and modifications which comeproperly within the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a web forming machine, of a vacuum base roll, awinding mandrel resting upon said roll and upon which said web of'pulpis adapted to be wound, means for creating a vacuum in that part of thebase roll covered by the web of pulp up to a point just in front of thewinding point, and press rolls resting upon said mandrel and the pulpbeing wound thereon.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a webforming element, and a base roll about which the web is partiallywrapped, of a mandrel resting upon the top of said base roll and aboutwhich said web is adapted to be wound in successive layers, said mandrelbeing of tuwhich said web is adapted to be wound in menace successivelayers, said mandrel being of tubular form with a relatively thin wallcontinuous throughout its length, and means vfor subjecting said mandrelto pressure during the winding operation, and for preventing distortion,comprising a'pair of press rolls resting upon the top of said mandrel ateither side of the center, said rolls being formed in short sectionsarranged end to end and suppodiiiing bearings between the ends of theseveral sections.

4-. In a tube winding machine, the combination with a base roll, and amandrel on which a web of pulp is adapted to be wound in successivelayers, of a press roll formed in a plurality of sections arranged endto end, and a carrier provided with bearings for said roll sections.

5. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a mold roll;a couch roll; a base roll; awinding mandrel; an apron cooperating withsaid rolls'for conducting a sheet of pulp from said mold roll tomandrel; means for subjecting to suction action the part ofthe base rollcovered by" the sheet of pulp; and roll fer corn" p'acting the pulp onthe mandrel,

6. in a machine of the class described, the

combination of a base roll; a windi mandrel for receiving a sheet frombase roll; and a pair of presser'rolls for maintaining straightalinement of said mandrel,

7. In a machine of theclass described, the combination of a base roll; awinding mandrel for receiving a sheet from said base roll; and presserroll means resting on and maintaining'straight alinement of saidmandrel.

HOWARD PARKER. Witnesses:

Bonner A. FRENCH, l donnson,

